Know Your Queer History
A new online video series from ShoutOut, Know Your Queer History features interviews with 12 individuals who were all involved in different ways with the progression of LGBTQ+ equality in Ireland.
Produced by ShoutOut volunteer and Steering Committee member Domhnaill Harkin and directed and edited by videographer Mary-Claire Fitzpatrick, the 12 episodes explore the events that shaped and created the early LGBTQ+ rights movement from the 1970s onwards. By speaking first-hand to people who were the instigators and leaders of the movement we get an in-depth, personal account of major milestones from the Fairview Park protest march in 1983 to the Marriage Equality Referendum in 2015.
Interviewed over the course of the series are former Uachtarán na hÉireann Mary McAleese, Senator David Norris, Katherine Zappone, gender recognition campaigner Dr Lydia Foy, GLEN member and former political director of Yes Equality Tiernan Brady, TENI Chair Sara Phillips, director and historian Edmund Lynch, archivist and activist Tonie Walsh, activist and academic Ailbhe Smyth, Kieran Rose, former GLEN chair, Cathal Kerrigan, former member of the Cork Gay Collective and Gay Health Action, and Suzy Byrne, former GLEN member and GCN journalist.
Episode 1: Mary McAleese
In the first episode of our new series Know Your Queer History, former President of Ireland Mary McAleese discusses her involvement in LGBTQ+ activism as an ally, her experience as the mother of a gay son, and her conflict with the Catholic church on LGBTQ+ issues.
Episode 2: Senator David Norris
In episode 2 of Know Your Queer History, Ireland's first gay elected official, Senator David Norris, brings us back to the very early days of the Irish gay rights movement. Learn about the lengthy legal campaign to decriminalise homosexuality, the rise and fall of Ireland's first queer community centre, and his experience as the first gay Irishman interviewed on RTE.
Episode 3: Katherine Zappone
In episode 3 of Know Your Queer History, we're joined by former Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and Senator Katherine Zappone. Katherine tells us about meeting Ann Louise Gilligan, their decision to take a case against the state for marriage equality, and her work on the National LGBTI+ Youth Strategy.
Episode 4: Sara Phillips
In episode 4 of Know Your Queer History, we speak to TENI chair, activist, and archivist Sara Phillips. A founding member of the Dublin Trans Peer Support Group, Sara played a leading role in negotiating Gender Recognition legislation in 2015. Sara gives us her insight into trans life in Ireland, how things have changed - for better or worse - and the many remaining inequalities for the trans community.
Episode 5: Tiernan Brady
Join us for episode 5 of Know Your Queer History, this time in conversation with Tiernan Brady. Tiernan is an equality campaigner, former member of GLEN, and political director of Yes Equality. Following the Irish marriage equality referendum in 2015, he went to Australia to direct their campaign for marriage equality.
Episode 6: Suzy Byrne
In Episode 6, we talk to Suzy Byrne. Suzy Byrne has been involved in community work and campaigning on disability and equality issues for 30 years. Suzy was a member of GLEN and was heavily involved in the decriminalisation of homosexuality campaign which was achieved in 1993. Suzy was also a journalist with GCN during its early days. She is also a board member of the Irish Council of Civil Liberties and an external advisor to the Rethinking Ireland Equality Fund.
Episode 7: Cathal Kerrigan
Cathal Kerrigan was involved in founding the Cork Branch (1975) of the newly-formed IGRM [Irish Gay Rights Movement]. In 1979 he helped found the Cork Gay Collective which organised the influential National Gay Conference (1981). He then moved to Dublin where he was involved in establishing the Dublin Lesbian & Gay Collective (1982), Gay Health Action (1985) and GLEN [Gay & Lesbian Equality Network] (1988)
Episode 9: Ailbhe Smyth
Ailbhe Smyth is an Irish academic, feminist and LGBTQ activist. Ailbhe set up Lesbian Lives in UCD. She was the chair of the National LGBT federation for many years and she was a founding member of the marriage equality campaign. Ailbhe was also a Co-founder of the Coalition to Repeal the 8th and Co-Director of the Together for Yes campaign.
Episode 11: Tonie Walsh
Tonie Walsh is an LGBT rights activist, journalist, disc jockey, founding editor of Gay Community News (Dublin). Tonie is a former chair of the National LGBT Federation and has co-curated the Living With Pride cultural programme, now running at National Library of Ireland. Tonie is also a HIV activist and is vocal about getting rid of the stigma associated with HIV.
Episode 8: Edmund Lynch
Edmund Lynch was involved in the founding of the Sexual Liberation Movement in 1973, which lead to the Irish Gay Rights Movement and he was involved in the successful campaign for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Edmund worked as a producer and director in RTE for many years and produced the two documentaries 'A Different Country' and 'Did Anyone Notice Us' amongst others. He continues to work and record Queer History.
Episode 10: Dr Lydia Foy
In March 1993, Dr Lydia Foy applied to the office of the Registrar General for a new birth certificate to reflect her gender, she was refused.This was to be the beginning of her fight to be recognised as a woman by the Irish state. After many legal challenges and a ruling that found that Irish law was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights due to the fact there was no legislation on gender identity in the state. Finally in 2015 the Gender Recognition Act was passed and Lydia became the first person to be recognised under the act.
Episode 12: Kieran Rose
In the final episode of #KnowYourQueerHistory, we speak with Kieran Rose. Kieran Rose was a founder member of the Cork Gay Collective and the Quay Coop in early 1980s. He began his trade union activism at that time. He was a founder member of GLEN in 1988 which initially campaigned for an equality-based gay law reform and equality legislation. He remained active in GLEN over the years as chair or co-chair work on various projects such as the achievement of Civil Partnership legislation in 2010. He was on the Strategic Advisory Committee for the Yes Equality Referendum campaign. He is a former Board member of the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
